New 2025 Ram 1500 with hurricane engine.

[Hay Dude]

Here's the thing. The old slant-6's made about 0.6 hp/cid, or 145 hp out of the 225 cid variant. The Hurricane you're all griping about makes 2.2 to 2.8 hp/cid, literally 4x more power.

With that sort of difference, to me anyway, looks and longevity become almost completely irrelevant... not that the old ones are known for going longer miles anyway.

Exactly.

Congrats, you can work on your engine, but its still gutless.

 

[coobie]

CRAZY how things turn from a truck purchase & engines to politics.Christ almighty glad I am old.

 

[jyoutz]

A "1/2 ton", v8, stick shift, wing windows, rubber floor mat, manual windows etc!

You can buy those. They are called 1970 F-100.

 

[jyoutz]

Here's the thing. The old slant-6's made about 0.6 hp/cid, or 145 hp out of the 225 cid variant. The Hurricane you're all griping about makes 2.2 to 2.8 hp/cid, literally 4x more power.

With that sort of difference, to me anyway, looks and longevity become almost completely irrelevant... not that the old ones are known for going longer miles anyway.

I owned several of those 1960/70s trucks. I don’t miss them. Tune-ups of points, condensers and timing every 25k miles, replace plugs at 50k miles, and overhaul at 100k+ miles. Not to mention the shoe brakes that don’t stop the truck in water.

 

[paulsharvey]

You can buy those. They are called 1970 F-100.

Everyone says they wish companies still made stuff like that, but they wouldn't sell. I like power windows, automatic, and atleast cruise control. I dont need or want adaptive cruise, lane keeping, but I sure want back up camera and cruise control. It hard to text, eat a burger, while steering, and shifting. I dont want (prefer to not have) power seats, and I actually dislike the AC controls in my work Ford; I don't want to have to wait on the screen to boot up to adjust the AC. I'm undecided on the weird driving modes in Fords. I dont really need ECO, Sport, Normal, Slippery, Trail, and Heavy Mud-Snow modes; doesn't appear to be a "problem", but 2Hi/4Hi/4Low I know, but what exactly is "Trail", idk.

But in all seriousness, I hope that Hurricane is a good truck. I'm a dodge fan generally, and they are far from perfect, but through the years they have been good vehicles. I prefer the "Classic" styling, but we all knew that would go away at some point.

 

[ning]

Everyone says they wish companies still made stuff like that, but they wouldn't sell. I like power windows, automatic, and atleast cruise control. I dont need or want adaptive cruise, lane keeping, but I sure want back up camera and cruise control. It hard to text, eat a burger, while steering, and shifting. I dont want (prefer to not have) power seats, and I actually dislike the AC controls in my work Ford; I don't want to have to wait on the screen to boot up to adjust the AC. I'm undecided on the weird driving modes in Fords. I dont really need ECO, Sport, Normal, Slippery, Trail, and Heavy Mud-Snow modes; doesn't appear to be a "problem", but 2Hi/4Hi/4Low I know, but what exactly is "Trail", idk.

But in all seriousness, I hope that Hurricane is a good truck. I'm a dodge fan generally, and they are far from perfect, but through the years they have been good vehicles. I prefer the "Classic" styling, but we all knew that would go away at some point.

I dread the day I have to get a new car; my '97 F350 has the perfect setup... mostly lol (power windows, locks, mirrors) dials for hvac. Ok, I wish it had rear disc brakes, and someday I may put a backup camera. The 2009 Mazda 3 has a similar setup; doesn't really need a backup camera. Both have great cloth seats, long-wearing.

Wife's 2018 car has buttons and dials that just spin so you have to look at everything to do anything (better than a screen though). So many things that may break (power tailgate - why!).

 

[paulsharvey]

1995 F150, 4.9L, 5 Speed, with AC, Am/Fm, and "speed control" brand new $13,994. Funny thing, the F150 is less money than a V6 Mustang? Can you imagine the idea of a pick up that costs less than a compact/smallish midsized car?

 

[paulsharvey]

Don't get me wrong, those old regular cab bench seats weren't very comfortable, and a crew or extend cab is almost mandatory now. But as far a an I-6; Ford did a lot of good work with those 4.9L I-6s. Ran them in upto F350 cab and chassis trucks. I wouldn't be shocked if some of the F600s had them as well?

 

[jyoutz]

Don't get me wrong, those old regular cab bench seats weren't very comfortable, and a crew or extend cab is almost mandatory now. But as far a an I-6; Ford did a lot of good work with those 4.9L I-6s. Ran them in upto F350 cab and chassis trucks. I wouldn't be shocked if some of the F600s had them as well?

I had one of those Ford trucks with the 300 CID I6 motors. Extremely dependable and they ran forever as well as being easy to work on. Lots of torque also.

 

[WinterDeere]

CRAZY how things turn from a truck purchase & engines to politics.Christ almighty glad I am old.

Engines go in trucks! Inseparable discussions. In fact, I think your OP was mostly asking about the engine.

I missed the politics?

I dread the day I have to get a new car; my '97 F350 …

I tend to always fall into this sort of thinking, as well. Dread of the new. But then I actually get the new car or truck, and every damn time, I end up looking back and wondering how I put up with the old one so long. The only thing I can legitimately say I miss is manual transmission, I do wish I could still buy that, but the new vehicles always end up winning on literally every other point.

I think the “typically configured” variants populating dealer stock pretty much suck today, low-ratio 3:1 diff’s, soft suspension, and P-rated tires that make the thing drive like an anemic luxury car. But if you order the truck with a nice 3.7+ rear diff (think my latest is 3.92:1), LT tires, and whatever “heavy duty” suspension they’re offering, the new ones will always beat the old on everything but looks and nostalgia.

 

[Hay Dude]

I owned several of those 1960/70s trucks. I don’t miss them. Tune-ups of points, condensers and timing every 25k miles, replace plugs at 50k miles, and overhaul at 100k+ miles. Not to mention the shoe brakes that don’t stop the truck in water.

Shockingly, I agree with you!

 

[Hay Dude]

Don't get me wrong, those old regular cab bench seats weren't very comfortable, and a crew or extend cab is almost mandatory now. But as far a an I-6; Ford did a lot of good work with those 4.9L I-6s. Ran them in upto F350 cab and chassis trucks. I wouldn't be shocked if some of the F600s had them as well?

I hope not. At that point it would be almost time to go back to 2 ox and a wagon.

Look, we tend to look back at those old truck with favorable sentiments. Most of them had undersized drivetrains and axles, pathetic towing capabilities, and zero comfort.

Heck, my Ram can tow almost as much as a single axle road tractor from 40 years ago. And it’ll do it with heated/cooled seats, AC & navigation and I can park it in my garage.

If that’s the price to pay for “easy to work on”, I’ll take the modern truck.

 

[deserteagle71]

Engines go in trucks! Inseparable discussions. In fact, I think your OP was mostly asking about the engine.

I missed the politics?

Exactly. Especially when we have bureaucrats out there who have the power to mandate that manufacturers can make only electric vehicles after a certain date. This is especially telling after hearing from my relatives back in Pennsylvania where the power is out due to storms and won't be back on for a week or so. So you'd charge your electrical vehicle how?? These same bureaucrats are now proposing to ban the use of gas stoves and furnaces. This isn't about politics - it is about people in power that have no common sense.

The only thing I can legitimately say I miss is manual transmission, I do wish I could still buy that, but the new vehicles always end up winning on literally every other point.

I have a Dodge/Cummins dually with the manual 6 speed transmission. Super stout unit - I have no doubt that transmission will never give me a problem. But...in stop-and-go traffic, in a city with a lot of stop light and stop signs, I find myself wishing the truck were an automatic. That old 6 speed is not a slick shifter - slow and deliberate is how you shift it. I find myself holding up traffic, trying to get the truck up to speed. In slow speed maneuvering I have to shift the transfer case into low range to keep from slipping the clutch too much. Something the torque converter would alleviate, with the automatic. And from what I read, the new automatics they are putting in the heavy duty trucks these days are excellent and will hold up to the torque the engines can put out. The last few years that Ram put manual transmissions in trucks, the engine power was derated to protect the transmission. Not so with the automatic.

 

[paulsharvey]

On automatic vs manual; my first truck, a 1995 Dakota, was 5 speed stick. In sand, you either had to slip the clutch on take off, or you would break traction and bury down. There are or were some areas where you needed to go almost stalling out in first.

Sure, a stick shift is more fun, but I just don't see them as practical in this era.

 

[Hay Dude]

On automatic vs manual; my first truck, a 1995 Dakota, was 5 speed stick. In sand, you either had to slip the clutch on take off, or you would break traction and bury down. There are or were some areas where you needed to go almost stalling out in first.

Sure, a stick shift is more fun, but I just don't see them as practical in this era.

Not with todays automatics
Today will pull anything you put behind them.
The he Allison in my IH7500 is rated to 80,000 GVWR.
The automatics in the smaller trucks like my Ram are well over 40,000lbs
I routinely haul 45,000 + hay trailer loads with it.
The also have manual mode if you need to control the shifting

 

[paulsharvey]

Not with todays automatics
Today will pull anything you put behind them.
The he Allison in my IH7500 is rated to 80,000 GVWR.
The automatics in the smaller trucks like my Ram are well over 40,000lbs
I routinely haul 45,000 + hay trailer loads with it.
The also have manual mode if you need to control the shifting

Even in the full sized semi industry. I was superintendent for a medium sized trucking companies trailer shop (200 tractors), the owner said he went with all automatics, just to make getting drivers easier. He also had every truck governed at 65 mph, and ran super singles. Dump trucks too, the autos are good on dirt/sand

 

[WinterDeere]

Sure, a stick shift is more fun, but I just don't see them as practical in this era.

You make good points. But I prefer a stick shift mostly due to using the truck as my “bad weather” driver. I can respond more quickly and knowingly to a loss of traction with manual transmission on snowy and icy roads, than with an automatic.

But yes, I will admit the auto’s are stronger and better for “crawling”.

 

[ponytug]

You make good points. But I prefer a stick shift mostly due to using the truck as my “bad weather” driver. I can respond more quickly and knowingly to a loss of traction with manual transmission on snowy and icy roads, than with an automatic.

But yes, I will admit the auto’s are stronger and better for “crawling”.

I learned to drive with a stick, and I loved the control compared to the automatics of the time. With modern vehicles with ABS and traction control, I know that I can't manually respond as fast to a loss of traction compared to modern automatic traction control systems. Modern automatic transmissions also have some really amazing sensors for load, and are coupled with the engine ECU for what I think is great optimization of power, engine braking, and overall mileage.

I do like limited slip, or locking differentials for sustained poor traction weather, but, for me, that's rare, and with traction control, really something that I only need to get moving from a dead stop. (And it has saved my bacon more than once.)

Different strokes for different folks.

All the best,

Peter

 

[Hay Dude]

You make good points. But I prefer a stick shift mostly due to using the truck as my “bad weather” driver. I can respond more quickly and knowingly to a loss of traction with manual transmission on snowy and icy roads, than with an automatic.

I like ya bro, but you lost me on that one. I’ve driven manual plow trucks and automatic plow trucks and automatics were way better in snow.

But yes, I will admit the auto’s are stronger and better for “crawling”.

I have an auto in my Rubicon and lots of guys I rock crawled with disputed which was better.

 

[Hay Dude]

I learned to drive with a stick, and I loved the control compared to the automatics of the time. With modern vehicles with ABS and traction control, I know that I can't manually respond as fast to a loss of traction compared to modern automatic traction control systems. Modern automatic transmissions also have some really amazing sensors for load, and are coupled with the engine ECU for what I think is great optimization of power, engine braking, and overall mileage.

I do like limited slip, or locking differentials for sustained poor traction weather, but, for me, that's rare, and with traction control, really something that I only need to get moving from a dead stop. (And it has saved my bacon more than once.)

Different strokes for different folks.

All the best,

Peter

Very well said. The vehicle can figure out (ones equipped with traction control) where you need brakes & where you need power when coupled with an automatic.
Other nice thing is almost all modern automatics have a manual feature if you want to hold a gear, which I will do on hills when loaded pretty often.

What we would encounter with manuals on slippery roads would be a sudden “screwing sideways” problem with the back ends of trucks if you didn’t clutch/shift perfectly. Automatics just kinda shift softly (or not at all if you lock out) and there’s never a “break” in the traction as you have when you depress the clutch in a manual.